Arizona State football began its second week of spring football practice Tuesday, working indoors for the fifth time at the Dickey Dome.

Leading off

Second-year ASU head coach Herm Edwards insisted on practicing outdoors in the heat last summer and fall but so far has kept the Sun Devils inside because of wet ground (to avoid injury) and what he said is a better teaching environment in closer quarters for spring. But he couldn't resist blaming being inside Tuesday on first-year running backs coach Shaun Aguano.

Edwards is taking the transfers in stride because ASU has roughly 20 players in its 2019 incoming recruiting class and expects to add several grad transfers after this semester.

"I'm a guy that left Cal twice," Edwards said of his college playing days. "It was a personality clash, and I was a starter.

"It gives them a way out when it's hard. There's some validity to it. Sometimes you got a place and maybe the coach leaves or the system changes and you don't want to be involved in that. But in the world these young people live in, there's this reset button. If it's uncomfortable, it doesn't look good, a lot of them can't take that. They look at the competition ahead of them, I'm going into the portal."

The flip side for ASU taking a transfer from the portal, Edwards said, is making sure to do sufficient homework about why that player is leaving his original school.

"You've got to do your due diligence on any guy we bring in here," he said. "We are going to do our research to find out what happened."

Edwards said the most likely grad transfer targets will be in the offensive line like last year when ASU brought in Casey Tucker from Stanford and Roy Hemsley from USC. The Sun Devils also can use defensive-line depth even with Stephon Wright and Amiri Johnson among the incoming freshmen.

Hodges transitioning to tight end

Curtis Hodges is now officially a tight end, a position he played part of last season but never fully transitioned to in part because he was away from the team for several games for academic reasons.

"I think our offensive coordinator is doing a good job of finding my role," Hodges said. "I think it'll be a good year for me for sure. They kind of let me go back receiver last year then we knew this spring I was going to be committed to playing tight end and learning all that stuff."

At 6-8, Hodges is a big target who in his first two seasons only has a combined eight catches and one touchdown. Although light for a tight end at 221 pounds, there is optimism that he can become a genuine receiving threat at tight end, something ASU been missing in recent years.

"He was excited about moving there," Edwards said. "He's got the frame. Athletic tight ends are big time, and they're hard to cover inside the middle of the defense. The more athletic you are inside with wide receivers, tight ends, you get the matchups you want.

"I think he's enjoying it. He's got a role now. He's a long strider, that doesn't bode well for you to play outside. He doesn't always have to be connected to the formation (next to the tackle). We split these tight ends out and put them in space, where the quarterback has a big target in the red zone."

ASU also has an incoming freshman tight end, Nolan Matthews, who could be a contributor in the fall.

For Hodges, out of Mesa Mountain View High School, the time is now to show he has his on- and off-field life in order.

"I like getting open across the middle and running routes," said Hodges, who has been regularly targeted this spring. "That's kind of my preference. It'll be an advantage with me getting mismatches. Most of our tight ends are true traditional tight ends, blocking scheme, not so much an impact in route running."

Hodges has no preference on who is throwing him the ball but said junior Dillon Sterling-Cole has "stepped up as a leader and is performing on the field as well. I'm excited for that."

Hodges blocked two punts in 2017 and hopes to get back to making a special-teams impact this year. "I don't want to jump to this is my year, but that's definitely my goal," he said.

AAF is 'needed' league

Edwards attended the Arizona Hotshots' first game Sunday and liked what the product and what the Alliance of American Football offers as a pro-football option.

Utah Stallions defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson held the same position in 2004-05 when Edwards was head coach of the New York Jets. Henderson also was an ASU assistant coach from 1992-97.

"This league is needed for development," Edwards said. "When you think about coaches, officials, rules, players. There is no league for a player when he gets cut from the NFL to go to. The farm system is college football, but where do they do from there when they get cut? They go home and waste a whole year.

"As long as fans understand that, it'll be OK. This league is not trying to compete with the National Football League. It can't. But to give a guy an opportunity is great in the fact they get to play. There's a season for them to play and put their resume on tape again."

Personnel notes

Cornerback Chase Lucas returned to practice after missing last week due to a family matter. Linebacker Merlin Robertson was out Tuesday.

Up next

ASU will practice at 9:45 a.m. Wednesday either in the Dickey Dome or on the Kajikawa practice fields. Practices are open to the public.

Quarterback Langston Frederick hands off the ball to running back Isaiah Floyd during a drill at ASU spring football practice in the Verde Dickey Dome in Tempe on February 21. Cheryl Evans/The Republic

Left to right: Joey Yellen, Ethan Long, Jayden Daniels, and Dillon Sterling-Cole line up for a passing drill during practice on Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019, at the Verde Dickey Dome in Tempe, Ariz. Sean Logan/The Republic

Left to right: Joey Yellen, Ethan Long, Jayden Daniels, and Dillon Sterling-Cole line up for a passing drill during practice on Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019, at the Verde Dickey Dome in Tempe, Ariz. Sean Logan/The Republic